Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Gamer Pet Peeves

I love gaming as a hobby and almost everything that comes with it, but there are some things that I wish I could get away from. These are things that others might point out as wrong or slightly annoying... but they really get to me. It isn't that they make my blood boil or anything. I'm actually pretty laid back and don't get angry over much of anything, but these get under my skin a little:

People who can't figure out that "rouge" and "rogue" are entirely different things - This error runs rampant all over message boards that I browse and peoples' blogs I read. I've seen it corrected over and over again on message boards and people still do it quite often. This isn't a rare monster or anything. It isn't like "duergar" and "deurgar." The rogue has been a core class for a loooong time. This should be basic vocabulary to us by now.

That guy at the FLGS who walked up to me as I was skimming through Open Grave and told me not to buy anything from 4th Edition because it is crap - Seriously?! If folks want to have editions wars, let the battlefields be on their websites or in discussions with their friends. If I don't know you, don't bother me with that crap. Post it on your blog or on a message board somewhere so I can choose not to read it. And even more important than that, don't make it harder for your FLGS to make a sale!

People who claim to have done everything you've done, but just a little better - This little habit is one that is all too common everywhere, not just in RPG circles. "Oh, you took on a juvenile white dragon at 4th level and won? Well, we took one on at level two, my character only took three points of damage, and I rolled two critical hits back to back!" Sometimes the stories are true, but once I've noticed that someone has the one upmanship storytelling habit, I tend to develop a little habit of my own: avoiding conversations. Am I the only one who keeps stories to myself from time to time just to avoid being so irritating?

People who won't (or can't) have a conversation about non-gaming subjects - Gaming takes up a lot of my time, too, but my hobby is only a part of my life. I don't care how great your awesome new Magic deck is. Actually, I might... but do not interrupt my conversation about ACC basketball to tell me about it.

People who let the competitive aspect of the game turn them into bad sports - I am extremely competitive, especially in Magic: The Gathering tournaments, and I beat myself up (mentally) over careless errors and poor plays. Unfortunately, I've played against some real jerks in my time who I would never want to play against again... and I've also played against some otherwise decent folks who just have bad tempers and curse excessively when they make mistakes. Both examples are annoying to encounter.

Older (or just more experienced) players who think it is okay to take advantage of those who don't know the rules well - At the Mirrodin prerelease, I sat beside a grown man who played a Reiver Demon against a young kid and didn't destroy any of his own (nonblack) creatures. When I pointed out the error, he acted like I was somehow cheating him by interfering. I absolutely despise that mindset.

What about you, my dear readers? Any gamer behaviors that get on your nerves?